There have been no shortage of wearable technologies hitting the market in recent times, but one of the more interesting is hoping to make life a little more comfortable for incontinence sufferers.

The condition comes with significant stigma, yet with over half of adults over 65 years of age believed to suffer from it, it’s a challenge that requires a dignified solution.

This is where an innovative new wearable device comes into play. The device, called Brightly, is taking aim at the $17 billion adult diaper industry with its belt like wearable that comes with a number of biosensors that can detect when the bladder is expanding.

It can then alert the wearer to this via their smartphone to warn them that a trip to the bathroom would be a good idea.

The idea emerged out of the field of bioimpedance spectroscopy, which sees small electrical signals sent through the body to detect and measure subtle changes in body tissue.

“I realized the bladder is one of the easiest things to see with the technology because it’s this large balloon of conductive material which is expanding and contracting,” the founder says.

The concept is still very much in its early stages, and the $400 price tag reflects this nascent stage of development. Nevertheless, the price compares reasonably to the kind of ultrasound devices used in hospitals.

The makers hope to put the device through its paces with a larger sample of users in the coming months, both in hospital and at home.

It’s certainly an interesting concept that will hopefully prove its merit (and cost effectiveness) under more strenuous testing. An innovation to keep an eye out for.

You can learn more about Brightly via the video below. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.